Keeping A Heart Safe
by sangreal7
Summary: Why is Garcia not talking to Morgan? What does Emily plan to do to help? A little ficlet that I couldn't get out of my head.


**A/N: I kept trying to turn this into a longer story and it just wasn't working. It took me a while to figure out that the reason was because it was supposed to be a one-shot. Tried it like that, and voila! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Criminal Minds. I'm just playing a little :)**

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There was an unusual level of tension in the BAU bullpen, considering that there was currently no active case, and the team was mostly engaged in paperwork.

Spencer Reid had his head buried in a massive book on the psychological factor of displacement in serial killer motivation. Both JJ and Emily had made several attempts to draw him out, but he only looked up long enough to quote some facts from his book to them.

Giving up, the girls retreated to Emily's desk, where the conversation soon turned to the real reason for the tense atmosphere.

"Did she tell you why they're suddenly behaving as if they hate one another?" Emily asked JJ quietly, leaning back in her chair as the blond Media Liaison sat on the desk, legs crossed demurely.

"Yep." JJ responded with a sad little smile. "Derek kissed her, told her he was in love with her, and she basically gave him the brush off."

"What?" Emily exclaimed, loud enough for even Reid to look up for a moment. She continued in a softer tone, "How could Garcia do that? She's crazy about Morgan."

"Of course she is, but she doesn't believe that he feels the same about her." JJ shook her head at the thorough blindness of their friend.

"Shit!" Emily burst out. "That's why Morgan's been acting like a bear with a sore head for the past couple of days! I asked him about it and he didn't want to say."

JJ looked at Emily. She hadn't known that Emily had spoken to Morgan. "You talked to him? When?"

"When we did that custodial interview two days ago. He was perfectly professional during the interview, but on the way there and back, it was like a different Morgan."

Emily looked off into the distance, remembering. Then she re-focused on JJ. "He is in love with her. You've never seen him when we're out in the field? He has to call her at least once a day. He has to talk to her before he goes to bed when we're away."

"How do you know all that?" JJ was surprised to find that anyone knew that much about Morgan's actions. He was usually fairly private.

"We're partners most of the time." Emily shrugged her shoulders. "Partners talk. They notice things about each other."

"So why'd you never say anything to Garcia?"

"I figured it was Morgan's place to tell her when he was ready, not mine."

"Well, look where that's got them!"

Just then, Penelope Garcia walked past the glass doors of the bullpen, heading for her office. She carried an armful of files. She looked as bright, colorful and eccentric as she usually did, and one would have to know her well to realize that she was not her usual self.

Fortunately, Emily knew her well, and knew that PG was hurting. She rocked her chair forward, so that the front legs hit the floor with a soft crash. Standing up abruptly, she motioned to JJ.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?" JJ slipped off the desk and followed Emily.

"To knock some sense into our friend!" Emily tossed the comment over her shoulder. "Just let me do the talking."

* * *

Moments later, they were knocking at the door to Garcia's lair and receiving what passed for a normal greeting.

"Enter the presence of the Oracle of Quantico!"

Going in, the girls discovered Garcia pretty much staring into space, absently flipping a yellow feathered pen over her fingers.

"Hey PG, we came to see how you were doing." Emily began.

Penelope looked over at JJ. "Thanks for telling Em, Jayje. I really didn't want to have to go through it a second time."

JJ nodded softly and going over to her friend, sat in the spare chair and asked, "How are you doing, Garcie?"

"Okay, I guess." Penelope's answer was dispirited. She couldn't really seem to care. Everything seemed to have a duller cast for the past few days since Morgan had … spoiled things.

Emily looked at Penelope for a long moment, then suddenly she said, "You know, I never thought you could be cruel, Penelope Garcia."

"What?" Garcia sat up abruptly, the pen flying from her fingers. She had never been more shocked. First, that Emily had said that to her at all, and second that she actually seemed to believe it. She began to ask a question, but Emily continued as if she didn't even notice.

"Tell me something Garcia … does your heart really need that much protecting that you need to bury it away? From Morgan? If that's true, then how could you possibly trust in his friendship? Is it that you only trust him up to a point? Then you must always be waiting for him to slip up."

"It's not the same thing Emily." Garcia protested. "Of course I trust Derek. He's my best friend. He's never given me any reason to doubt that. But love? That's a whole different ballgame, Em."

"You're wrong, PG." Emily looked at her, amazed that Garcia seemed to have blocked something so important out of her head. "Derek has messed with your _friendship _before and you were hurt beyond belief. But you guys came through that, with an even stronger friendship. So how can you choose to trust him on some things but not on others? You hated when he did that same thing to you."

"What are you talking about, Em?" Penelope was confused.

"I'm talking about Tamara Barnes." Emily snapped in exasperation. "Or have you forgotten what that did to the two of you?"

"Oh my god!" Penelope looked up at Emily, a horror-struck expression on her face. "What have I done?"

She had forgotten. How was it possible? How could she have forgotten how devastated she was when Derek hadn't trusted her advice about Tamara? And now, she had done the very same thing to him. Not trusted his words.

No. What she'd done was so much worse. She'd listened to a declaration of love from the only man she had ever loved, and denied his feelings, simply because she was too afraid to give her trust to him.

How she must have hurt him! _Oh, Derek!_

She was still staring slack-jawed at Emily and JJ. Both were looking at her with a mix of sympathy and relief on their faces.

"PG, you can fix it." JJ said to her. "It's not too late."

A look of determination settled over her features. She had to go to Derek right that minute and tell him how sorry she was for misjudging him so badly. How sorry for letting her fears blind her to what he must have been trying to show her for so long.

Without another word, she left Emily and JJ in her office, and hurried out to find him.

* * *

Derek stood in his office, the office that she had created for him, idly playing with the little robot dog on his desk. He had no idea how to fix things between him and Penelope. She wasn't even talking to him. Not that he could take back what he'd said … and done. He didn't want to either. What he wanted was to go find her and kiss her senseless until she believed that he loved her. He couldn't do that though. He knew she loved him, and he got that she was scared, but there was really nothing more he could do.

The knock on his door brought him out of his reverie. Before he could say anything, the knob turned slowly and the door opened, to reveal the object of his every thought walking in and shutting it behind her.

When Derek looked up and his eyes locked with Penelope's, somehow he knew why she was there, and his heart slammed painfully in his chest.

Penelope and Derek both hesitated for only a fraction of a second before they were moving toward each other. Their bodies slammed together hard, desperate for the reassurance of the other's touch, hard enough to rock them both off balance, so that they swayed together and clutched at each other for support.

Hands clung and caressed, mouths fused together in frantic, urgent kisses interspersed with breathless words.

"Sorry."

"So sorry baby. I'm sorry."

"Not you … me. Not … your … fault."

"I'm sorry."

"Never."

"No. Never again."

It was hardly clear who was saying what, as they spoke together, words tumbling over each other's, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that they were in each other's arms again.

Derek didn't care what made Penelope come to him. He was just so damn glad that she did. As the frantic kisses finally tapered off, he turned her so her back was to his desk and leaned her against it. Bending down, he looked into her eyes.

"Penelope, I promise I'll never make you regret trusting me. I'll always keep your heart safe."

As she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him into a sweet kiss, Penelope believed him with her whole heart.

**

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A/N: Hope you liked.**


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